Little Bird and Brave Lion
by Winged Horse
Summary: What happens when a farm girl from good old Californy and her niece get stuck in the CT world? Formerly 'Too bad, tough cookies'. PG13 for cursing and mention of rape.
1. A morning at the farm

This will be my only disclamer. Chrono trigger is not mine.  
"Destiny! Get up!"  
  
"I don' wanna......"  
  
"Get up! Now!"  
  
I sighed when I received no response. My niece was even worse than my brother. Drawing the curtains open, I walked to the door, smirking as I watched her squirm from the sunlight.  
  
"Fine!" I said, opening the door. "But don't plan on doing anything except stable cleaning if you're getting up late." Just as I expected, she shot up from bed.  
  
"Okay! Up early, ma'am!" I laughed lightly.  
  
"Well, hurry up and get ready. After we feed the crew I'll give you your first riding lesson."  
  
"For real?"  
  
"No, for fake," I said, rolling my eye. Her eyes mirrored mine. I chuckled again, and walked out, shutting the walnut door behind me.  
  
Strolling into the kitchen, I frowned, and glared at the object, which I 'fondly' called the spawn of Satan. I meant it, too.  
  
"So, stove. We meet again." I wagged my finger at it. "You may have won last time, but not today! Oh, no, not today!" I glanced at my other, bandaged hand. I couldn't have known that the burner was still hot!  
  
I turned to the refrigerator and pulled out several eggs and a carton of butter. Turning, I pulled out a frying pan and set it on the demon. I could have sworn it laughed at me.  
  
"Oh? Think you're a big-shot, ay?" I growled. "Well, today I have this!" I flashed my weapon, a splatter guard at it.  
  
"Mornin' Sprightly!" I looked up, and blushed. Destiny had been watching me.  
  
"Mornin' Sugar!"  
  
"Would you like some tea?"  
  
"Yes, with a pinch of lemon in it."  
  
"And anything to go with it?"  
  
"Cookies, please."  
  
"Oh, cookies!"  
  
"Lovely!" we cried in unison, then broke off chuckling. It was an old joke of ours.  
  
"So, Aunt Leo, do you need help?" I shook my head.  
  
"No, thanks. But you can set the table."  
  
As I fried the eggs (or tried), I amused Destiny with stories of her childhood.  
  
"Oh, I can remember when you were a baby, you know. You were the worst tempered one I had ever seen, let alone imagined-"  
  
"Liar!" she interrupted, blushing.  
  
"I'm not. When you were in the car, you would cry so hard your face turned purple, just when the car stopped!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really!" I nodded. "Little pain in the butt, you were."  
  
"Aunt Leonora, tell me about Australia." I smiled dreamily.  
  
"Australia..." I paused. "Des, tell me something. And be honest."  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Do I still have that horrible Australian accent?" She shook her head, but it slowly turned into a nod.  
  
"Badly," she admitted. I shook my head.  
  
"Crikey! I-I mean um...."  
  
"Australia," Destiny reminded me. I nodded.  
  
"Right. Australia. When I was a lot younger, your age, actually, I kept thinking about how cool it would be to have an Australian accent. So when I finally got into high school, I entered an exchange program. And I went off to Australia." I stopped, and gasped. "The eggs!" A few minutes later, we both sat at the table, staring at the mass that dared to call itself food.  
  
"What was this again?"  
  
"Egg?" I said, unsure.  
  
"It looks....bruised. How can you make black and blue egg?"  
  
"......No comment." Destiny shook her head.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, Australia."  
  
"Yes. Australia. I had a hard time fitting in at first. Those Australian teenagers aren't very....anyway, what was I talking about?" I glanced at her, praying I looked like I forgot.  
  
"Never mind, Aunt Leonora. Never mind." I chuckled to myself, then I shrugged.  
  
"Okay. Let's go feed the horses." I paused. "Oh yeah, and the ponies."  
  
"The dogs don't eat that much!" she declared. I shrugged again.  
  
"Says the city-girl."  
  
"You lived in the city too!"  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not just staying at my aunt's farm for the summer. I actually live here, and have for a few years."  
"Here, you can feed Brandy. I'll get the dogs, and then we'll divide up the other horses. She nodded, and grabbing bunches of hay, fed them to my oldest mare. I, however, called the dogs into the barn.  
  
"Jenny! Fred! Marion! Crystal, Roxanne, Mimi! Tasha, Tiger!" In a pack, the eight dogs ran into the old barn, and vacuumed up their food. I glanced at my niece, and smiled. All four horses were surrounding her, trying to snatch bits of hay. I watched her for a few minutes, until the horses became bored with her and left.  
  
"You fed all of them." She shrugged.  
  
"Now what?"  
  
"It's time for a riding lesson." She cheered, then stopped suddenly. "I won't actually get to ride today, will I?" I shook my head, and she groaned.  
  
"Adults," she muttered.  
  
"Teenagers," I muttered. She flipped her brown hair over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, yeah, you Russell Crowe wannabe?" she huffed dramatically.  
  
"Oh, yeah, you.....pickleweasel?" I huffed back, remembering the word I used when I was thirteen. She burst out laughing.  
  
"Pickleweasel?" I shrugged, blushing. She was still laughing.  
  
"Like my word, do you?" She nodded, gaining control again.  
  
"Do you have any more?"  
  
"Of course! Next to pickleweasel, there's dumbnut, numnut, stinkfoot, goomba, he-she wannabe-" I froze. "Great. Your mother will kill me now."  
  
"Yeah, oh well. No big loss." I shook my head.  
  
"That's it little missy!" I tackled her, and we both fell on the hay- strewn floor, the dust rising into our noses. I grinned. I had her pinned down.  
  
"You know what this means, don't you?" Her eyes widened in horror.  
  
"Tickle tickle tickle!" She shrieked, and squirmed desperately to try to get away from me. Suddenly, several dogs ran at us, unsure of what was happening. It became a huge, slobbery, laughing, furry, ticklish mess. I finally got myself untangled, and smiled at Destiny's shining ice blue eyes.  
  
"Come on. Let's go clean up, hmm?  
So what do you think? Only my first chapter, but still, is it good? Bad? Okay? Write a review and tell me! 


	2. Family crisises, and getting over them

I'd like to thank HellHades for reviewing. I really appreciate it.  
  
BTW, I don't mean to offend any Australians out there. I don't mean anything by it.  
"So can I actually get on the horse now?" Aunt Leonora stared at me.  
  
"Do you think you can?" I nodded. She shrugged.  
  
"Fine. Let's have you ride Brandy, since she's the mildest." She stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled. "Brandy!"  
  
The mocha-colored horse trotted into the old barn and nuzzled my aunt's blonde hair. She laughed and stroked its velvet nose. I shook my head. Aunt Leo was great with animals. It was almost sickeningly sweet at times.  
  
"Aunt Leo," I muttered. She nodded, and I realized she was already putting on the horse's saddle. She patted old Brandy again, and smirked at me.  
  
"Well," she sneered. "Go ahead and mount."  
  
She obviously didn't think I would be able to do it. Well, I would prove her wrong. I took a deep breath, and tried to hoist myself up. I failed. I took another deep breath. Then-  
  
"OW!" Next thing I knew my aunt was standing over me.  
  
"Next time, try not to fall off the other side of the saddle, you dumbnut." I wrinkled my nose at her but said nothing.  
  
"Can you stand?" I started to.  
  
"I think so- ow!" I cried again, and crumpled. "My ankle hurts." She sighed.  
  
"Okay. Come on, careful." She pulled me up, and helped me hop all the way back to the house.  
  
Once she had wrapped my ankle tightly with some gauze, and helped me sit down on one of the stools in the kitchen, the phone rang. She snatched it up.  
  
"Hello?" She paused. "This is she. Really? What's up?" She paled visibly, and sat down. "Is she alright?" She gasped, and I could see unshed tears.  
  
"No.........Yes, I'll tell her. Mm-hmm." She slammed the phone into the receiver.  
  
"What's wrong?" I asked softly. She turned to me, not even bothering to stop the tears now.  
  
"Destiny, before I tell you this, you have to understand something. There is no way we could have stopped this."  
  
"Okay," I said, nodding. I could feel bad news coming.  
  
"Des. Sweetie. This morning," She paused, and took a deep breath. "This morning, your mother was killed."  
No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no.  
"How? I finally managed to croak. She can't look me in the eye.  
  
"Someone robbed her, raped her, and then set the house on fire. I'm so sorry, sweetie.  
  
I finally started wailing, like a baby. She hugged me tightly, and we both just cried over the death of a miraculous woman.  
Changing Pov:  
  
~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~! ~!!!! ~! ~! ~  
Destiny hasn't been out of her room for a week now. I feel so bad for the poor girl. Her father died in a car accident when she was younger, and now this. I'm the only family she has left! And I'm not exactly an expert on child raising. I'm used to being 'cool Aunt Leo', not a parental figure. Poor child, and my poor sister. Nicole never did anything wrong. She didn't deserve to die.  
  
I sighed to myself. Today would be a lllloooonnnng day, and it wasn't likely that I'd have company.  
"Aunt Leo?"  
  
I must have jumped a mile in the air. I turned around and saw a bright-eyed, radiant young girl. She was grinning like when she first arrived. I shook my head inwardly as I realized this. She was in denial, perhaps?  
  
"Destiny, are you alright?" I asked cautiously. She nodded.  
  
"Yeah." She paused, apparently trying to sort out her words. "I'm not upset anymore. It was Mama's time, you know? I'm not upset because she died. I'm just gonna miss her."  
  
"You're wise beyond your years, Destiny," I said gravely. She shrugged.  
  
"I doubt it. It's just logic." I shook my head, and glanced outside.  
  
"It's raining," I commented. My niece nodded.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock!"  
  
"Watch your mouth!" I warned her. She grinned at me, and saluted.  
  
"Yes ma'am!" In spite of myself, I chuckled. She chuckled too.  
  
"Well, get ready and we'll head out to the mall."  
  
"For shopping?!"  
  
"What else?" She cheered, and tore off to her room.  
  
"Destiny, aren't you ready yet?" I demanded, knocking on her door for the tenth time.  
  
"Almost."  
  
"What's taking so long?"  
  
"My hair!"  
  
"Can I come in?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure." I opened the door and found her standing in front of the large mahogany vanity, furiously making tiny braids in her chestnut hair. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Des, here," I said, pulling each braid out with one gentle tug. I divided her hair into eight sections, and braided each. After finishing that, which only took a few minutes, I pulled all the braids into a ponytail. I patted her hair affectionately.  
  
"You like?" I asked. She nodded.  
  
"I like," she said. I grinned at her, brushing my own hair out of my good eye. She frowned at that.  
  
"Aunt Leo, we need to do something with your hair too," she insisted. I shook my head.  
  
"No, that's okay," I said slowly, setting down her brush and taking a step backwards. She clamped onto my arm.  
  
"But you've got such gorgeous blonde hair! It's thick, long, and it's got natural highlights. But you just let it lie there, not even attempting to do anything with it," she scolded. I sighed.  
  
"Fine. But something simple. We gotta get to the mall before it closes." She nodded, something of an evil smile on her face.  
  
"Don't worry. It won't take long......" she said, the evil smile growing wider. I squeaked.  
Not too shabby, I said to myself. She had pulled my hair into a tight braid, so tight my hair must have shrunk an inch in length. She then put on a cheery red bandana, and I liked it.  
  
The phone rang. I rolled my eyes and picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" A recording sounded on the other line.  
  
"YOU HAVE A VETRENARIAN APPOINTMENT AT....Four thirty p.m. ON....Saturday, March 22. PLEASE BE PROMPT, AS WE ARE EXTREMELY BUSY. THANK YOU." Click.  
  
"Dammit!" I cried, looking at the clock. "It's three forty- five! I completely forgot!"  
  
"Forgot what?" Des asked. I frowned.  
  
"We have a vet's appointment for the dogs. We'll have to load them up in the truck, take them, drop them off, then head to the mall. Is that okay?" To my relief, she nodded.  
  
"It's fine," she assured me. I smiled briefly at her, then led her out to my Ford.  
  
Since I had so many dogs, a long time ago I had installed a cage-like thingy in the back of my truck. It kept my dogs from jumping out of the truck, and it had this safety-proofing where it would unhook and open if there was a sharp jerk or extreme heat, like a fire.  
  
I whistled. My dogs came crowding out of the barn and lined up in an orderly fashion. I smirked. My dogs were so well behaved. I helped all eight into the back, then locked the cage and started up the truck.  
"Damn rain," I muttered a few minutes later. Destiny glanced at me.  
  
"I like the rain," she said. I shrugged.  
  
"Yeah, you're cold blooded. NOT like that," I added, seeing her get defensive. "I just mean you like the cold months better. I prefer the heat, myself. I was thrilled on 100 degree days when I was younger." I sighed. "Yep, I'll take the sun and dry any day, except if there's a lighting storm."  
  
"Speak of the devil," Destiny grunted. I glanced at the sky and muttered a much worse word.  
  
We were almost there. I was having a nice time with my niece, despite the rain. Then it happened.  
  
A drunk man was swerving around the road ahead of us. He smashed into an eighteen-wheeler, which swerved itself and hit us. We tipped over, and off of the very, very steep hill we were on. We both screamed, and the last thing I remember thinking was about my family, and how now I only had Des.  
Whaddya think? Good, bad......? Tell me! 


	3. Chatting with strangers

Thanks for the reviews! I will try to work on my grammar from now on.  
Leonora:  
I was in a bed. A very, very comfy bed. I was tempted to go back to my deep sleep, but then the recent events rushed to my mind. We were hit by a semi, and I was positive we were going to die. I wondered, almost idly, if Destiny was okay.  
  
"I don't know where she came from, my queen. She appeared with an adolescent and eight dogs just outside of the castle's grounds, unconscious."  
  
"That's really weird. Where's the younger one?"  
  
"Right here, your majesty."  
  
"She's so.....frail. How badly is she injured?"  
  
"A broken rib, and a broken arm."  
  
"Dear lord! And the woman?"  
  
"A broken collarbone and possibly twisted shoulder, majesty."  
  
".....and eight dogs, you said?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hmmmmm. I'm going to talk with my husband. If either of them wake up, send someone for us.  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
I finally cracked my eye open, after sensing if my patch was on. The light was bright, but after blinking several times I adjusted.  
  
I was in an infirmary of sorts, I guessed. In a....castle? What the hell was with the 'queen' shit?  
  
"Oh, you're awake!" A woman with long black hair and warm brown eyes, wearing a nurse's outfit, smiled at me gently.  
  
"Where am I?" I demanded, my voice raspy. "Where's Destiny?"  
  
"Destiny?" she repeated. "Is that the girl you were with?" I nodded. She pointed  
  
"She's in the bed next to you, but don't move your neck. It might injure you further." I slowly, cautiously bent forward, until I was sitting up straight. I still felt no pain.  
  
"I've been through worse," I assured her. She shook her head.  
  
"You remind me of King Crono. They say he sacrificed his life for his friends and wife once, and was revived."  
  
"Right," I said, skeptical. The nurse blinked, as if remembering something.  
  
"Oh!" She turned. "Ellie, get the queen. She requested to be here once they awoke." I heard a heavy door opening, and soft footsteps going out.  
  
The nurse gently pushed me back against the pillows, then put a cup of water to my lips, which I drank from.  
  
"So, a broken collarbone and twisted shoulder, huh?" I asked. She nodded.  
  
"You were listening," she stated. It wasn't a question.  
  
"Yeah. But I feel fine," I insisted, stretching out my limbs. "Well, actually, my shoulder and back hurt a little, but I feel great!" She stared at me. "What?"  
  
"I swear on my life you had a broken bone! I know it!"  
  
The doors burst open, and a woman with reddish-blonde hair wearing a small crown with a heart shaped diamond and a fancy gown, and a man with impossibly spiky, flame red hair with a slightly larger, plain gold crown wearing a tunic with slacks and a billowing red crown walked in.  
  
"Hello," the woman said, smiling kindly. "I'm Nadia, but you can call me Marle, and this is Crono. Who are you?"  
  
"Leonora Brightbolt....but everyone call me Leo," I said. "I presume you're the king and queen of....wherever the hell I am." The man nodded.  
  
"We are. We rule Guardia. What happened to you?"  
  
"Guardia?" I repeated. "Never heard of it. Anyway, what do you mean, 'what happened to you'? A lot has happened to me, so can you please be more specific?" "Well, how did you get here?" he decided on.  
  
"I haven't any clue. Destiny and I were taking my dogs for a checkup, and we got in a car accident, and fell off the side of what felt like Mount Everest."  
  
The nurse, king, and queen stared at my blankly.  
  
"Carr accident? What's a carr, and why did it get in an accident? And what's Mount Everest?" Marle ventured. I raised both eyebrows, which I knew looked strange because my right eyebrow was mostly hidden under my eye patch.  
  
"Don't tell me you haven't heard of a car? OR Mount Everest?"  
  
They shook their heads. I sighed.  
  
"Never mind. Next question."  
  
"What is that girl to you? And why did you have so many dogs?"  
  
"Des? She's my niece. And all my dogs are pets. I live on a farm."  
  
"Where do you come from?"  
  
"California, in the USA," I said proudly. Crono pulled out a map from a nearby bookshelf (a/n how convenient!) and only glanced at it momentarily before asking his next question.  
  
"What continent?"  
  
"North America," I said, surprised by the question.  
  
"What world?" I glanced at him, my left eyebrow raised.  
  
"Do I have to answer that?" I asked, rather rudely. But as far as I was concerned, it was a stupid question. He nodded. "Earth, in the Milky Way galaxy. Happy?" Crono shook his head slowly.  
  
"I have never heard of any of these places," he said slowly. "The only conclusion I can come up with is that you're lying, or you are from a different planet." He paused. "But you aren't lying. I can see when someone tells a lie."  
  
I fought a strong urge to tell him I had deceived the best at lie- detecting on almost a weekly basis once. Now would not be a good time.  
  
"Do you have any other proof?"  
  
"Ummm.. our clothes, I suppose," I said weakly. "Are they unusual compared to yours?" I pointed to my shirt with the design of a Chinese dragon, my whiskerwash flares, and my 'combat boots', all of which were neatly under my nightstand. I felt my hair, and was relieved to find my bandana still in it.  
  
"They are unusual," the queen remarked. "But still...."  
  
"Hey!" I said, finally coming up with an answer. "I bet you guys don't have anything like this!" I felt around my neck, and found one of two necklaces, which I took off.  
  
"Look at all those gorgeous stones!" Marle breathed. "It's so pretty! What are the stones?"  
  
"Amethyst, carnelian, coral, emerald, iolite, aqua aura quartz, opal, ruby, tanzanite, and zircon," I said, relieved that I found something. "It was my great grandmother's." I loved that necklace. It had so many gems, each nearly the size of a marble. I knew it was one of a kind the first time I saw it. I wore it always.  
  
"I've only heard of a few of those stones," the nurse piped up. "She paused. "If I may, Miss Leonora, I'd like to try something." I nodded, and she scurried off. She returned soon with a small knife. Holding my arm carefully, she made a small gash. It stung about as much as a papercut. She smiled and stared at my arm. And stared. And stared. And stared some more.  
  
Then, to my amazement, the small wound scabbed over, and became lighter and lighter, until it disappeared completely. The whole procedure had taken ten minutes.  
  
"Holy $#%@!" I said loudly. They winced at my words, and I blushed. Oops.  
Hee hee hee. Not exactly a cliffhanger, is it? Oh well. This was all in Leo's POV, but I think the next one will be all in Destiny's. Please, review and tell me your opinion. 


End file.
